The Infamous Essay

Well, so much for this being my final blog post!  And so much for Kindness Week - more on that later. I continue to hold out hope that Mitchell & Jackson will decide to post something on how they are feeling being back. I'm not going to force that on them, though. They may write something eventually; maybe they need more time to sift through it all. Maybe they'd just rather talk about our year away from time to time, here at home.  More likely they are just busy being kids and living in the moment versus being reflective.

I was home one day in mid-January, not feeling well, both physically and emotionally. I stayed home and read big chunks of our trip blog, feeling a bit sad but also grateful for what we were able to make happen.

Sometimes I miss it so much, the life we had on the road, the adventure of it, the constant contact with our kids, and especially the freedom to let each day evolve as spontaneously or as planned as we chose. We've been back six months now and we've been sucked back into the rush, rush mode of life. There's good and bad in that: it's wonderful to re-connect with friends and family, the boys love being back in organized hockey, work is mostly fine, but of course housework and homework are the same old curses they've always been.

So on that day in mid-January, with the house empty and no-one but me rattling around dwelling on all of this, I did what I usually do to feel better and make sense of my internal state. I sat down to put my feelings on paper. And then I did something I don't usually do - I fired those words off to an actual legitimate publication. Not sure why. I have always enjoyed reading the Facts & Arguments essays in the Globe & Mail and decided this might be the forum to share some observations. They ended up printing my personal essay recently. Part of me regrets it because I felt so many people who read it misunderstood. I guess that's the risk you take when put your thoughts and ideas out there. You can read it here, at least for now until it disappears from their website.

The article simply observed the phenomenon that we are all pretty self-absorbed and don't take much notice of the momentous events in others' lives. Note that I said we which would by definition include me as well. I don't believe that I automatically merit peoples' attention and interest because of the things I do; I was just surprised once again by the general lack of it.

I say once again because I had the same observation after returning from a year of backpacking in my early twenties and then again after we returned from our year in Saudi Arabia over a decade ago. Those were big events in my life that changed me, as did getting married, having kids and all the other stuff that many of us do in life.

And I have come to accept it, so it's okay. It's nice to be able to share your feelings and experiences with others; it's a big part of what makes us human. But I have learned that many people are too caught up in their own lives to really care. I don't talk about our trip much at all. I wait to be asked. Even then, I give a minimal response because I recognize that most people are simply being polite, most people are very busy, and they have equally if not more compelling things they could be sharing with me, if only we all had the time. It truly doesn't bother me all that much but of course no-one's going to believe that now:) I thought it would make an interesting essay because everyone has experienced it at some point and in some manner, yet few people ever talk about it openly.

I was stunned by many of the comments left by readers on the Globe's website. I read a bunch and then stopped because some were so hurtful and bizarrely off the mark. Such venom - amazing that something that was intended to be tongue in cheek provoked such wrath and scorn. Some people thought I had self-esteem issues (pretty amazing analysts those folks, to be able to discern that from 900 words); some said I was ungrateful and whiny and should be abhorred, I think, mainly because I have a cushy public-sector job. I'm a silly yuppie, a shameless self-promoter and let's see, what else? Oh yes, a narcissist and someone with an apparent ego wound. Wow, who are these people? And from what cereal box did they obtain their PhD in psychology?

But there were some kind comments. This was supposed to be Kindness Week after all, even though it sure didn't feel like it after reading the vitriolic spewings of people who like to hide behind their aliases. Some people actually got it. I've received many lovely personal e-mails that somehow found their way to my Inbox, people who felt like what I wrote spoke to them, so much so that it motivated them to respond. I'll leave you with my favourite comment from this kind stranger:

"Flashes from your trip will come back like rays of sunshine throughout the rest of your life."

Love that. We could all use a little sunshine now and then, especially in the midst of a cold grey Ottawa winter.

Kathi's Final Post: Some Highlights

Time to return Darlene's Jacket and Flat Stanley to their rightful owners: Personal highlights for me from our year away - one definitely includes meeting our Compassion Child Longiro from Maralel, Kenya:
With Ann outside of the Bethany Kids Relief and Rehabilitation Hospital in Kenya. Meeting and mentoring Ann was definitely a highlight:

A huge highlight for me - realizing my dream of participating in a cleft lip/palate repair mission in Africa. This little girl is one of the lucky ones, to be getting surgery at the superior hospital in Kijabe at such a young age:

Phanice and her Mom getting ready to go home after surgery - another really special girl that stole my heart in Kijabe:

Another big highlight for our family was getting to see the work of Sauti Moja with Corey Wright. Here we are helping him weigh kids in rural Tanzania to record the effects of drought and malnutrition that will make the case for support:

Looking out at Mt. Kilimanjaro from Corey's tented camp in Longido, Tanzania. I wish I had a picture of this at sunrise . . . amazing:

A major highlight - seeing my Mom after two years! Here we are in front of a mural on a building in Duck Lake, Saskatchewan. How many women can wear a pair of jeans like this at age 84? You look awesome Mom!

This is it, folks. My final post. Don’t completely tune us out yet, though, as both Mitchell & Jackson are writing their last posts as well.

I have enjoyed keeping the blog and I can honestly say it was never a chore to write any of the posts. I always had fun composing them and never put a huge effort into it (perhaps that was obvious?) in terms of re-writing or editing. It was just kind of whatever came into my head and trickled out my fingers onto this keyboard. I would have loved the boys to contribute more but they definitely did a good job when they did feel the inspiration. And Moms are not supposed to nag, right? So I tried not to.

But I will treasure these written memories and photos for many years to come. I can foresee the day when, perhaps 30 years from now, one of my young grandchildren prods me awake in my Barcalounger and says, “Nana, show us the time you took daddy to the island of Western Samoa”. And so I will grope for my glasses, insert my dentures, fire up the laptop (will we still have laptops 30 years from now?), and pull up this old blog. Yes indeed. Let’s just hope I don’t accidentally delete it in the stupor of my old age.

How can I possibly sum up this year? I feel almost stupid when people ask me “so, how was your year?” I don’t even know where to begin so I find myself saying astonishingly lame things like “it was really good”, or even worse, “fine thanks”. God help me.

There’s a saying when it comes to raising children. It goes something like, the days are long but the years are short. That’s what this year of travel felt like – some of the days were long and difficult but the year was short, way too short. But I know special things cannot last forever. If they did, they would be dulled by repetition and cease to be special. I will keep dreaming about the next adventure, planning, saving, and figuring out a way for a next time. I would love to do more Smile Train or Operation Smile missions and I would definitely love to return to Kenya and see Ann (the new speech therapy assistant) at the hospital in Kijabe. We have continued to keep in touch through e-mail and, amazing as she is, I know she needs support in her new role.

Here’s another saying about children, one of my favourite quotes of all time. “The decision to have a child. It is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body” (Elizabeth Stone). Anyone who’s a mother knows the truth of this. The best thing about this year for me was to go walking around with my two hearts that live outside my body, with their Dad, all over the world.

I haven’t read the book Eat Love Pray nor have I seen the movie but my friend Darlene & I are going later week. (I have her dry-cleaned jacket ready to return). There is huge buzz in the media about this book/movie that I am just hearing about but one thing confuses me. Instead of dumping her husband, why didn’t she just persuade him to join her? Even better, have a couple of kids with him and take them too! But then I guess the book would be called Eat. Love. Pray. Do Laundry. Homeschool. Referee Sibling Squabbles. Etc. Etc. and that’s really not a catchy title, is it? I am curious to see it but I have a feeling I may exit the theatre with red eyes and a broken heart at seeing the gorgeous cinematography. My friend Joanne said to me the other night, “Don’t go see it Kathi. It’s too soon”. I had to laugh at that. Honestly, I will be okay!

About marriage and travel. Hmm, I read Ted’s last post with great interest. Hey, that’s the great thing about marrying someone who’s more on the introverted side of the continuum. You never get bored because you’ll always be wondering what the other person is thinking. It’s true, as he said, we had some tough times and some disagreements. Whoever said love means never having to say you’re sorry is crazy. That is one quote I have never liked. Good thing we were always able to say sorry when needed or we would not have survived this trip. We fell into clearly demarcated roles early on, with Ted doing all the driving and navigating (he used to drive taxi in Toronto in his student days so those aggressive driving tactics came in handy many times) and me doing all the research and booking accommodations along the way. We were a good team for sure and will continue to be here on the home front.

About children and travel. I think the kids are all right, to quote another current movie. I truly believe there was no down side for them, even if we never quite mastered the entire math curriculum. For me, I felt like I got my oldest son back. He had grown to strongly dislike school and this year away could not have come at a better time for him in particular. I have seen Mitchell’s confidence grow and the smile come back to his face. We have conversations like never before and I am determined not to let school, as important as it is, come between us again. He is rightly proud of his detailed trip journal, now at 45+ typed pages with one last entry to come. He has developed an interest in and talent for photography, even winning a contest with one of his early trip photos. I hope travel will always be a part of his life, so I can have even more interesting places to go in my retirement.

And Jackson, he has grown into the quite the little man as well. I think I may have said this before but, to an 8-year-old, a week at Nana’s could feel like a year so this was a looong year for him. He thought at times we might never actually get back home. He is probably the most delighted of all of us to be back at home, even though there were many highlights for him (especially anything to do with animals or sporting events). We have made the decision to put him in French Immersion as he enters Gr. 4 this fall. His older brother asks him, "what if you’re not with all your friends?" Jackson’s reply astounds me: “Well I’ll just see them at recess. You’re not supposed to play with your friends in class anyway. That’s what recess is for.” Is this child actually the fruit of my womb? I follow up with the only logical question under the circumstances: “Did you hear that Mitchell??”

So I am home now. It feels fine thanks. What can I say? I am happy to see my small but select group of high-quality friends! I am happy to be re-united with my duvet, my coffee-maker and my washing machine. I am happy to be able to pick up a delicious pie from my friend Kerry at Life of Pie. Ah, the comforts of home. But I won’t kid you. It’s a bittersweet time for me. After four years of planning and dreaming, and then the big year itself, all those hours of anticipation . . . well, it leaves a void. A friend said to me, it’s like spending all day in the kitchen cooking a great feast and then it gets eaten in 15 minutes and you’re like, wow it’s over already. Yes, that is exactly what it’s like.

During our year away, we had the freedom and autonomy to go anywhere and do anything we felt like. Living with just the stuff in one bag on your back is not only possible; it’s also very liberating. When I came home and faced the task of unpacking all our possessions, I thought who needs all this stuff anyway? Much better to live in the here-and-now with just what you need at hand, not worrying about the report that should have been written last week or the meeting coming up next week. So I will have some adjusting to do when I get back to work next week. I will be striving to live more in the moment and maintain that all-important balance that everyone talks about. I will also have to switch from my Cambodian elephant-embroidered purse to a more sensible one with zippers and compartments . . . sigh.

Time to wrap this up! I have noticed people often end their Big Trip blogs with a “By the Numbers” summation. So here is ours:

By The Numbers:

375 – consecutive days of travel in total
100,000+ - total kilometers covered (this sounds like an awful lot to me but Ted insists it is the case - includes our 34,000 RTW ticket mileage which equals 54,718km plus 9,000km in France and Spain; 10,000km exploring all over Kenya and Tanzania; the 15,000km circuit around South-East Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos); 2000km around Japan; 6500km driving the east coast of Australia; about 1200km driving the North Island of New Zealand; and over 7000km all across Canada and parts of the U.S.)
17 – countries (18 if you were to count the unscheduled landing in Saudi Arabia for two
hours)
5 – continents (North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania)
6 – times crossing the equator
1 – time crossing the International Date Line
10 - languages we attempted to speak (social phrases only, don’t be too impressed) – these included French, Swahili, Arabic, Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Lao, Japanese, Korean, and Samoan. Should we count the Aussie dialect too?
20 – flights in total
9 – different modes of transportation (the usual planes, trains - including the famous Reunification Express train of Vietnam and the shinkansen bullet train in Japan - & automobiles plus motorcycles, boats, tuk-tuks, bikes, Jucy camper-van and, oh yes, one distinctly memorable bus ride from hell)
0 – times we saw snow, ice or frost – yeah!! (oops, I forgot, there was the Columbia Icefields in Alberta) – okay, so no winters anyway
1 – time arrested (otherwise known as the nightmare in Zurich)
1 – trip to the hospital (in Zanzibar for Kathi’s infected foot)
0 – thefts (people, listen up, the world is safer than you think!)
3 – mountains climbed (Peyrepertuse and Montségur in France and Mt. Longonot in Kenya)
15,000 – digital photos taken (yes, they are all actually organized into folders on our hard drive now!)
Countless – friends made or re-united with
ONE – loving God who protected us every step of the way
ZERO – regrets
MANY – thanks for traveling with us vicariously!

Guest Blogger #2: Terry Crowe

Kathi's brother Ken and sister-in-law Terry:We've been busy here at home re-connecting wtih friends but also doing simple but time-consuming things like unpacking boxes, re-stocking our kitchen, washing and hanging clothes in our closets, and pulling a few weeds in the garden here and there. However, not all of us are living such a tame existence at the moment . . . let's check in with the only sibling I did not get to see on our cross-Canada/US trip. That would be my oldest brother Ken. He is a family doc down in Alabama but every year he and his wife Terry make the journey to Togo, Africa to give the long-term missionary doctors a break, usually for about a month.

Terry always sends detailed e-mail updates and I thought, since we didn't get to have a visit with them, I could at least copy and paste their latest update into this space as . . . da da ta da . . . our second Guest Bloggers!

They have spent almost the last month at Hospital Baptiste Biblique in the small village of Adeta in Togo. Togo is a small country in west Africa, bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east, and Burkina Faso to the north. Ken does the heart-breaking medical work while Terry uses her banking and administrative skills to help out the team. She also counts pills in the pharmacy, using those bean-counting skills!

Here is Terry's update for the week of August 4th:

Elizabeth cleaned our room today. That means we had soft, light cotton sheets on our bed that smelled of fresh air. I returned from Accra today about 4:30 in the afternoon, hot, and covered in sweat and a fine red dust from the road between Tsiko and Kpalime. Brenda's jeep has no air conditioning which means the windows have to be down and we inhaled the construction dust for the last hour of the 6 hour drive home. I stripped off my clothes and climbed into the cool shower and experienced a feeling of great thankfulness for running water and soap. I will never take them for granted again! So tonight when I climbed into our lovely fresh bed it was a continuation of the feeling of bliss...I am not exaggerating! To be clean and cool is a blessing I guess I hadn't given a lot of thought.

Our Accra trip was mostly uneventful which is always a good thing. Instead of taking the 6 hours we expected it took closer to 8.5 as we were delayed at the border due to problems with the papers for the truck we were driving. We had left Brenda's jeep at the Blind Center in Kpalime and picked up the vehicle of the woman we were fetching from the airport in Accra (in Ghana). Her truck is air-conditioned and newer and we knew we would have a more pleasant ride.

A minor glitch however was the fact that Joan had an accident a while back and the motor was replaced. VIN's are not located on the dash here in Togo, but rather on the engine. You may be able to see where this is going. The number was never changed by her insurance agent when her insurance was renewed and now her paperwork and the VIN no longer match. As vehicle theft
is such a problem in Africa the agents at the Ghana-Togo border were totally within their rights to not let us through. However, as they knew Brenda and the hospital etc., and we explained the situation...repeatedly to many people...they finally let us carry on.

The traffic about 50 km out of Accra became fierce, not unlike that of any large city, complete with 18 wheelers, SUV's, Mercedes, BMW's, etc. The big difference is the total disregard to any
traffic laws...at least to my North American eyes. The traffic circles are not for the faint of heart! Joan's flight was not coming in until 8:40 PM so we had time to go to the new Accra mall. Talk about culture shock.

Coming from the bush in Togo I felt like a country bumpkin! They have stores very similar to Walmart, Sony, Victoria's Secret (!!), American Eagle, Barnes And Nobles (albeit on a smaller scale) a five screen movie theater, and an outdoor food court under the palm trees. I may well have been in Dothan, Alabama. One of the things that made my jaw drop was the hot pink shopping carts from the "Game" store...similar to Walmart. The prices were just as amazing. This is a mall for the well-heeled Africans in Accra I'm sure.

A pound of butter was approximately $7.00. I saw a head of cauliflower that definitely had seen better days for $9.00. Pringles were $5.00 a can. These are U.S. $ prices not Ghana currency. I was in shock. I did not do any purchasing needless to say.

In the bookstore, President Obama is very popular and several shelves were dedicated to him, his wife, and his inauguration. It seems he may be more popular in Africa right now than he is in the U.S. We ate dinner at "Frankie's" and I had one of the best pizzas I have had in a very long time. As I sat there eating pizza and sipping my Coke Lite I commented to Brenda that I could be at any food court in Canada or the U.S. surrounded as I was by men in business suits, elegantly dressed women and teens in jeans and T-shirts. I keep wondering why anyone would ever want to wear tight heavy blue jeans in this hot humid climate when soft flowing cotton skirts are so much cooler. I guess my age is showing!

We arrived at our guesthouse around 9:45 PM and found everything locked up as expected. We already had our room keys but we had a difficult time convincing the guard we were legitimate guests. He would get up come and open the door, look at us and go back into the guard house and sit down. We could see him through the window so we would tap the horn and he would come out again and open the door and look at us and we would indicate we were guests and needed him to open the gate for us to bring the car in.

Fortunately after a couple of attempts we were able to get him to open the gate so we could park the car and unload Joan's suitcases. We were staying in a separate building from the main guesthouse in the rear yard...very well lit and comfortable with one minor exception...which became a bit of an issue for me, at least in my imagination. There were two rooms with a shared bath. To get to the shared bathroom you had to go outside. Ok, it was well lit so I didn't see a problem with that, but I did have a wee problem with the fact that the door to the bathroom was cut off about 6-8" from the bottom. They must have had some flooding or something in the bathroom so this would allow the water to escape, but to my way of thinking it would also allow any manner of critter or creepy crawlie into that room. You can imagine how I entered that room and checked it out before doing anything. Especially in light of the stories I have heard of "cute" little tree frogs living in toilets. As I showered I kept poking my head out to ensure nothing had joined me without my invitation! Ah Africa!

Our trip home today was much faster with no problems at the border at all. We made one stop at a bead store and did some lively bargaining that ended with all of us smiling which is always a good sign I guess. I probably still paid too much, but I was happy. As Brenda and I drove on the under construction road we did have a funny incident. We came to a roadblock where it appeared the young man did not want to let us pass on the road. He had a brand new neon yellow vest...so new the creases from packaging were still visible. He seemed determined to send us miles back to a "diversion" we had supposedly missed. He would not budge...and neither would Brenda. I sat and munched on a bag of stale Doritos and sipped lukewarm water trying to appear nonchalant.

When it truly looked like money was going to have to change hands, we looked up to see a construction truck barreling towards us at a fast speed....in reverse no less! He was not on our side of the road but that didn't provide much comfort as there was a fancy, new, little silver car in the truck's path beside us. What to do?? The young man guarding the rope was quite beside himself...looking at us, looking at the rapidly approaching truck, looking at the silver car, looking at the rope. His eyes just kept getting bigger and bigger and I just kept munching on the Doritos. Brenda put the Jeep in gear and said something to the effect "that truck is going to hit something and it's not going to be me".

At what seemed the last minute, the young man dropped the rope, Brenda hit the accelerator, the truck swerved and we were gone! No one followed us and home we went. I'm sure our hysterical laughter could be heard back at the roadblock! By the way...we were not doing anything wrong. There were all kinds of cars on the road just around the bend. The young man was waiting for a bribe. There seems to be a story everytime I leave the compound!

August 7, 2010
I am picking this up again on Saturday night. We have been so busy we haven't found time to sit and write. It always gets this way as we hit the last week of our time here. It is so hard to believe that we will be leaving in just a few short days. Our time has gone so quickly this year. The guesthouse is full to capacity and has been using the homes of the career missionaries who are home on furlough for the overflow. There are several young children here right now so we are hearing a lot of children playing throughout the day which is nice. There is even another little Abigail! That makes two here right now! I surely am missing our sweet little Abigail Jane and am looking forward to being able to hear her on skype when we get home. The internet has really been terrible this year. Something to do with old solar batteries or?? Anyway, it goes off at about 6 at night and doesn't come back until around 8 in the AM. With so many people here, it makes it hard to even find a time to get on and then it is soooo slow.

I have spent the last few days working with Cheryl G, the guesthouse administrator, working on guesthouse accounting and counting guesthouse money. This is basically a cash society so there is always a lot of cash to be counted and balanced on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. Their bills are in 10,000, 5000, 2000, and 1000 denominations and then all kinds of different coins so it definitely takes some getting used to. Where we count our money into packs of 100, they count them into packs of 9 and then fold another over it to make it 10. Also, their money is filthy and I always feel like I need a shower after handling large quantities of it. Of course all this cash needs to be reconciled to the cash book and then to the computer so it's been a learning experience.

Cheryl is a great person though so I have enjoyed my time with her! Last evening Ken and I had dinner with her and Michael...also a family doctor. They have been here for 9 years. We had spoon bread and crab cakes. Crab cakes I had heard of but not the spoon bread. She shared with me Michael's grandmothers' secret family recipes and they were delicious. I came home last year having lost some weight. I don't think that is going to happen this year...perhaps from this meal alone judging from the ingredients. This is some good southern cooking! We had blueberry cheesecake for dessert. Cheryl is a trusting soul. She let me help prepare the meal. I guess my reputation in the kitchen has not reached the African continent.

Late this afternoon Ken and I went up to the hospital to hang some inflatable toys I found at one of the markets on the drive home from Accra. They brighten up the pediatric ward nicely. We found a couple of beachballs tonight that we will hang up tomorrow. One of the orthopedic docs commented today after a particularly sad case that they weren't involved with...a 12 year old girl died before she could get into surgery..it was likely she would have died on the table...that this place sometimes seems to be a "river of tears". Sometimes it does, but the funny little toys brought smiles to the faces of the children today and lives are being changed
through God's amazing grace in ways that continue to astound us!

We thank God for the many, many lives He does save that would never have a chance if this little hospital in the bush of Togo didn't exist. If you are ever wondering where you could make a worthwhile donation, we would love to tell you more about Hospital Baptiste Biblique! As I have written a long letter all on my own tonight I will close this and let Ken send an update on the medical aspect of things before we leave for home. It's been a crazy week at the hospital.

I see Ken sleeping across the room and know I must join him if I am going to wake in time for breakfast and church. He is on call tomorrow. He works so hard here. Someone asked, "Tell me how to prepare my heart for the sorrow and pain and suffering I will see when I come there." You cannot prepare your heart in advance. I see the pain in Ken's face, and on all the doctors' faces, when a patient dies. The children are the worst. Many times the deaths are so unnecessary it is difficult not to also be angry. But, I do not hear him complain and I see how the staff at the hospital treat him and I know they like him, respect him, and trust him. That is no small thing.

Good night. Thank you for your interest and your prayers.

With love from Africa,
Ken and Terry

Back in Ontario: It's Been Surreal

Sister-in-law Katrina with granddaughter Trinity:The secret is out now. We are actually back in Ottawa! However, we are behind in this blog (not that anyone is going to hold that against us). After we crossed the border back into Canada, we visited yet another of my siblings, this time my brother Jim in London, ON. So continuing in the saga of all you never wanted to know about Kathi's family and didn't even have to ask . . .

Us with Jim & Katrina, daughter Celine and grandaughter Trinity:

My brother Jim is four years older than me. We used to fight like cats and dogs but it's all good now! It looks as though, in the fall, he will return to his job of driving special needs kids in a bus to their schools, a pretty cool job I think. He probably gets to know these amazing little people better than I do in my job as a "testing, testing, 1-2-3" worker bee SLP. I enjoyed getting re-acquainted with my niece Celine, now a teenager. She is a special girl to me and I intend to kidnap her for an Ottawa weekend in the very near future.

Jim & Katrina:

I have to say, it was great to drive all across Canada stopping to see every member of my immediate family (with one notable exception - my oldest brother Ken and his wife Terry are in Togo, Africa right now doing their annual medical mission). A cross-Canada journey would be a pretty amazing trip in and of itself, but coming on the heels of our round-the-world adventure it was even better. We got to share photos and stories with our families and now realize the one question we must formulate an answer to, since every single person asked us this: What was your favourite place on the trip? Not easy to answer, kind of like comparing apples and oranges. All the places were unique and incomparable. We'll have to come up with something better than that, though.

After London, we dropped in on good friends in Georgetown and stayed a couple of nights with them. Two of their kids were away at camp so they had loads of space for us. A highlight was rafting down the Credit River with them, from a quaint town called Terra Cotta to another historic town called Glen Williams. Another good friend, Josette, came with us

Our friends in Georgetown: Mark & Andrea and two of their four kids, Ryan & Danae:

With my friend Andrea. She shared a beautiful quote with me - "It has been said that true friends can go long periods of time without speaking & never question your friendship. This type of friend picks up like they just spoke yesterday, regardless of how long it's been or how far away they live. And, they don’t hold grudges. They understand ...that life's busy......but, that you'll ...always... love them":

Andrea's daughter Danae & puppy Lizzie:

We spent one great afternoon rafting down the Credit River in the Halton Hills area:

Danae & Josette:

Ted's family is much more manageable in size than my own. We met up with his mom in Whitby and his brother Brian in Toronto. Ted's mom was really happy to see her grandsons back in one piece!

In Toronto, the guys got to go up the CN tower (Jackson has been itching to do this for years) and visit the Hockey Hall of Fame. We had a fun BBQ with friends who live in downtown Toronto. Everyone agreed it was pretty surreal to be doing the same BBQ with the exact same people exactly one year later. Surreal. One of those words I rarely use simply because it is so often misused. Like ironic, affect, effect or whom. But in this instance, it was truly the only word that fit . . .

Nana Elborn is pleased to be reunited with the Elborn men:

View from the CN Tower - even in the very familiar city of Toronto, the sightseeing just never stops:

Good friends in Toronto hosted a Welcome Back BBQ for us in Toronto. Thanks Tracey & Andrew!

The boys (and one girl) let off steam playing ball hockey at the BBQ:

Visiting around the "Clubhouse":

It's been just over a year since we were last in Toronto. Some of us are a little taller . . .

Ted & his good friend Bob. They have known each other since high school but they don't talk about their friendship like us women do - they mostly just talk about cars and home reno projects :)

A very climbable tree in Bob & Carol's Toronto backyard:

Someone famous once said, "Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is"

More profound thoughts to come, if we can muster them up. We have offered to give the last words to the boys, so we shall see if they take us up on that opportunity. Another post or two to come, then we'll sign off for good. Thanks for sticking with us!

Runnin' Back to Saskatoon

One of several bridges in Saskatoon:View of the same South Saskatchewan River from my parents' former farm (about 1 hour north of Saskatoon):Church at Historic Batoche, just a few miles from the old family farm:

Five years since our last visit, we finally made a return trip to my hometown of Saskatoon. The last time was the occasion of my Mom's 80th birthday in 2005. I have seen my family since then (lest you think I am a really bad daughter/sister), but at other family celebrations, just not in Saskatoon. I enjoyed seeing the old haunts and I think my kids got a kick out of seeing where I grew up. Ted kept busy kibitzing with my family and, of course, washing any and all cars around especially our own :)

At one time, all nine members of our family lived in a big house on a leafy street near the university. At this point there is only my Mom, now in a retirement residence, my brother Jim's two adult children (Laura and Jim Jr.), and another one of my brothers (Bob) and his family still residing in Saskatoon. Brother Bob and his wife Mary-Jane are now empty-nesters with daughter Portia at McGill and son JP on his own but still in town. JP has lost the fabulous dreadlocks he sported throughout high school and looks so handsome and grown-up I would not have recognized him.

A couple of times I snuck away from all the family action to see a few old high school and university friends. We all congratulated ourselves on how little we have changed and how great we all still look, ha, ha. Well what are friends for, if not to prop up your ego?

Saskatoon itself just keeps looking better and better. The crown jewel of this city of about 200,000 is the mighty Saskatchewan River that runs through it, the parkland and trails alongside the river, as well as the many bridges that span it. We shopped at the expanded Farmer's Market, went for scenic bike rides along the river (an even better ride, I will admit, than Ottawa's canal bike paths), and saw all the new shops and restaurants in the growing downtown and Broadway areas. But mostly we hung out at Bob & MJ's place, the kids swimming in their backyard pool and visiting with their Nana, aunts, uncles and cousins.

My Mom's new seniors' home is quite lovely and it was reassuring to see that she has made several good friends. We all felt Grandpa George's absence, though, and can hardly comprehend that is already five months since he passed away.

Homeschooling, believe it or not, has continued - aren't we the cruel parents? We took a trip to historic Batoche to learn all about the North-West Rebellion of 1885 - or should I say, the North-West Resistance of 1885. Very interesting that people in Saskatchewan refer to the incidents associated with Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont as an armed "resistance" whereas in Ontario it is still called a "rebellion". A matter of perspective. Louis Riel is regarded as a hero of the Metis people for standing up to the indifferent government in Ottawa; he was hanged for treason, though. That sentiment of westerners disliking Ottawa still exists to some degree. Chatting with staff at Batoche, they would always ask, where are you visiting from? Ottawa, I would say apologetically, but I'm actually from Saskatoon.

A big highlight for me was travelling just a few more miles to the north-west of Batoche to once more see the farm my parents owned until the mid-1990s. This was a beautiful chunk of land that my Dad loved and spent every spare minute at, even though we never lived there. We ran into the man who now owns it with his brothers. This man, Raymond, was kind enough to spend a couple of hours with us, showing all the things I remembered - such as the huge buffalo pit we used to climb down - and all the things that have changed and developed with the new owners. A lake my Dad created (long story involving dynamite to blow up beaver dams plus many earth-movers) now has many homes and cottages on its shores. Just before he died in 1989, my Dad had carved up a section of land around the lake into cottage lots. Seeing actual homes and cottages surrounding this lake was amazing to me. As kids we swam in it. We skated on it. And now a small community lives by it. Weird.

Jackson is enjoying Uncle Bob & Auntie MJ's pool and perfecting his dive:

Uncle Bob instructing Jackson in the ways of chopping kindling for an outdoor fire we had one night:

Sharing brunch with my Mom at her new place (Mary-Jane's Mom joined us as well):

Playing ping pong with Nana at the retirement residence:

The kids loved it when Uncle Bob took each of them for a spin in this little convertible that was his gift to Auntie MJ:

Nephew JP with his girlfriend Ashley:

My niece Laura & her partner Rob, expecting this December:

The church at the historic village of Batoche:

Hard to see but Jackson is holding Flat Stanley here. He's getting a little embarrassed about the whole Flat Stanley thing now and is trying to hold him inconspicuously- alas, we may have to put FS to rest soon :)

Bullet holes in the rectory (from General Middleton's gatling gun):

Cemetary at Batoche (Louis Riel was buried in Regina, however, where he was hanged):

Jackson in front of Gabriel Dumont's memorial stone at Batoche:

Sign at one of the entrances to my parents' former farm:

My Mom and Raymond sharing a beer at the old family farm (now his property):

Chante Lake - I had to agree when Raymond said to me "your dad was 20 years ahead of his time". It was rewarding to see the lake so high and fresh and even stocked with fish:

Homes and cottages dotting Chante Lake:

Ted talking to Raymond. This is the spot on the farm where my parents dreamed of building a retirement house - amazing views of the South Saskatchewan River and on the edge of an historic buffalo pit:

Our trusty Saturn Vue has good high clearance to drive the farm fields:

Time to keep driving. Maybe next time I won't wait so long to run back to Saskatoon.